Danny Trejo’s ‘Pawn Shop’ Halts Filming in Montana Amid Community Backlash Over ICE-Themed Plot

Production on the Daily Wire-backed feature film “Pawn Shop” has been suspended in Livingston, Montana, after the city commission voted Saturday to pull the movie’s permits following sustained complaints from residents and business owners. The shutdown marks a rare instance of a municipality intervening in an active production over both logistical disruption and the project’s political content.

The film, which began shooting in late September with a scheduled wrap date of Oct. 10, stars Danny Trejo alongside Harvey Keitel and Henry Thomas, according to call sheets reviewed by Deadline. Its script, obtained last week by The Bulwark, depicts an armed standoff at a Minneapolis pawn shop during protests against Immigration and Customs Enforcement. The narrative centers on the arrest of a Latino man later revealed to be an MS-13 member, with protesters portrayed as Antifa-affiliated agitators. A pivotal scene shows a masked woman ramming an ICE van, killing a Latino agent — a sequence bearing striking resemblance to the January killing of Renee Good by ICE officers in Minneapolis.

Livingston officials cited immediate practical concerns. The Livingston Food Resource Center, located across from the primary shooting location, reported that road closures and armed private security contractors blocked clients from accessing food assistance. “Our clients deserve to feel unequivocally safe accessing this essential resource,” the organization stated. Multiple downtown businesses echoed complaints about inadequate notice and communication from the production company.

But the opposition also centered on the film’s ideological framing. Local residents who learned of the plot — described by The Bulwark as carrying a “pro-ICE tilt” in which anti-ICE demonstrators prevent law enforcement from stopping the antagonists — organized protests outside the set. The production is a joint venture between Daily Wire, the conservative media outlet founded by Ben Shapiro, and Bonfire Legend, Dallas Sonnier’s production banner. Their previous collaboration, “Run Hide Fight: Infidels,” served as Jonathan Majors’ return to screen acting following his 2023 assault conviction.

Trejo’s involvement has drawn particular scrutiny. The 82-year-old actor, who has appeared in more than 400 film and television projects, has a documented history of advocacy for immigrant communities. In spring 2020, he joined a coalition of Latino performers launching the #AyudaEnEspanol campaign to distribute Spanish-language COVID-19 resource kits to migrant farmworkers nationwide. As recently as fall 2025, he told TMZ that families affected by ICE raids should “keep up hope” and “help your neighbor and do whatever you can for people in need.”

Neither Trejo, Daily Wire, nor Bonfire Legend have responded to requests for comment. The city attorney is now reviewing the permit suspension, with officials indicating a decision on whether production can resume under modified conditions will come in the near future. Montana’s film office, which approved the original permits, has not publicly weighed in on the controversy.